Singletary was the eighth — and most likely last — candidate to be interviewed by Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones about replacing retired coach Bill Parcells.

"I thought it went pretty well," Singletary said. "I must admit that we were at the (Senior Bowl) and we were coaching and I was listening to the process, and did not know if I would get a call or not. But when I did, I was very pleased and not really surprised."

Singletary was a late addition to the Cowboys' coaching search. He didn't get a call until after Jones talked Sunday to San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator and former Cowboys assistant Norv Turner, who is still viewed by many as a front-runner for the job.

Jones last week interviewed Cowboys secondary coach Todd Bowles, who is black, thus fulfilling an NFL requirement for a minority candidate. Singletary is also black.

"There are a number of other African-Americans out there that could have gotten this call and did not. For me, it's just one of those things that goes along with the territory," Singletary said. "If every time somebody called you sit back and go well, 'I wonder if this is a Rooney Rule' ... For me, every time I have the opportunity to have an interview, I feel very blessed and privileged to have it and I make the most of the opportunity."

The 48-year-old Singletary, who retired in as a player after the 1992 season, has only been coaching in the NFL since 2003, two years with Baltimore and the last two with the 49ers, where he was assistant head coach. He has already interviewed for two head coaching jobs, Atlanta earlier this month and Detroit last year.

The Cowboys haven't given a timetable for naming their new coach, though an announcement could come as early as Wednesday.

"I would think maybe some time in the next few days," Singletary said.

Jones is scheduled to leave Thursday for the Super Bowl in Miami, where Indianapolis plays Chicago on Sunday. The Bears last were in the Super Bowl and won 21 years ago, when Singletary was one of their standout defenders.

Best known for his ferocious play with the Bears from 1981-92, when he was voted to 10 straight Pro Bowls, Singletary is a Houston native who played college football at Baylor.

Asked what attracted him about the Cowboys job, Singletary said, "First of all, it's my home state.

"Watching the Cowboys when I was a kid, that's one of the few things that I would fight over," he said. "If the Cowboys didn't win, I was not a guy you wanted to talk to."

Turner was head coach in Washington and Oakland after being offensive coordinator for consecutive Super Bowl titles with the Cowboys (1992-93) when he had Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. Turner's head coaching record was 58-82-1 with the Redskins (1994-00) and Raiders (2004-05).

Jason Garrett was hired Thursday for an unspecified role on the coaching staff, likely as offensive coordinator, after he interviewed for the head coaching vacancy. The Cowboys said Garrett, who was Aikman's backup for two Super Bowl titles, is still a candidate for the top job.

Defensive coordinators Wade Phillips of San Diego and Gary Gibbs of New Orleans have also interviewed. Bowles was one of three Parcells assistants Jones talked with about the job.

Parcells resigned Jan. 22, ending a four-year run in which he went 34-32 and failed to win a playoff game over four seasons. Until Monday, Parcells had been in the office every day and had spoken to every candidate to replace him.